The flight to Singapore was uneventful. The 8-hour stop-over in Melbourne was extremely quiet despite the Commonwealth Games. We spent the day wandering around the city taking in the sights.

The trip on to Singapore was fine; Austrian Airlines do a great job. The staff give good service but the plane was past its best. We arrived in Singapore around midnight and quickly cleared customs.

We stayed at the Gallery Inn; they had secure parking with security for our 4WD.  Staff were interested in what we were doing. They could not have been more helpful.

First thing March 17 we headed to the shipping office. They told us the ship had arrived and we could collect SKI.24.7 the following day at 10am. Handling cost this end was SP$722.00.

At 9.30 the following day we grabbed a $5 taxi-ride to Kampong Bahru Road (Keppel Distripark), where our vehicle was sitting in its container. On arrival we checked in with the PSA (Police) Building 511 to get a temporary pass to enter the restricted area.

Then off to Building 513 Mac-Nels KD Terminal to find Max, who could not do enough for us. Many people took photos and asked what we were doing. They particularly liked our 4WD.

Unloading was an adventure; our roof tent was left on, as it drove in comfortably with a little less air in the tyres. To get it out they put some weight on the back of the vehicle and Peter drove it out just like that. It had arrived in one piece  what a relief! 

It is very hot in Singapore; we are red in the face and continually wet, so the air conditioning was a great relief.

The following day we crossed the causeway into Malaysia. No problems with the Carnet, though they said that they only see one a year. With visas issued for a month we were on our way.

Malaysia is beautiful, clean with lots of logging trucks loaded to the hilt. The main highways are just so well maintained with wonderful rest areas all the way but have tolls as you enter and exit. The drive was incredible; beautiful scenery all the way.

Our first night we camped at a service station, as it was late when we stopped and we couldnt find our way. It was noisy but comfortable, with toilets and water.

The following day we headed for the Cameron Highlands. Highlights were the tea plantations and the orchids growing wild on the banks, just as ferns do in NZ. Old Land Rovers were everywhere.

We spent a night at an old schoolhouse converted to a guest house. It was built by a British Woman in the 1930s to house 28 pupils and 3 teachers. The tea time tradition has been retained from 2-6pm. The food was good, though the rooms were primitive with a sloping floor and then there were the mosquitos.

We solved the mosquito problem with a bit of spray but the floor was something else until we became used to it. The highland air was cool and fresh and views clear.

Our last night in Malaysia was spent in at Memori Inn, a guest house run by a Malaysian family. It was very comfortable and they were most hospitable. Theres a showerhead on a hose in the toilet and hot water is a random bonus. 

We exited Malaysia at Pengkalan Kubar, into southern Thailand. The Carnet had to be stamped; a rare occurrence here and nobody really knew what to do. Once completed, we were ushered into the VIP room to be shown what they had done.

Our passports stamped we proceeded into Thailand, which required a short ferry-ride, costing 5.60 Ringets (NZ$2.80).

The rickety old ferry arrived safely and, with the awful ferry accidents in this part of the world we counted our blessings. Entry was straightforward but, even though carnet is not necessary on entry, customs still enjoyed examining it for 40 minutes.

They then issued us with a one month visa instructing us we had to leave on time or pay 900,000 Baht (NZ$38,700).

Customs advised us to put at least three hours between us and the boarder, though we must say that if it wasnt for the police presence we wouldnt have known there was unrest in southern Thailand. 

We travelled as far as we could then we set up camp in a Police compound, with their permission, moving to the beach early am for breakfast and a shower. Here crowds gathered to see what we were doing and enjoyed watching us cook and use the computer.

Thailand improves as you travel north and, thinking of our trip through China, we realised if we wanted to enter Laos in time to cross the Chinese boarder on April 17, we needed to keep moving.

The Laotian Embassy in Bangkok would close over the weekend and we didnt want to wait in Bangkok over the weekend. We raced up to Bangkok and made it by Thursday evening. All the way there were police pulling trucks and motorcycles over and customs checks entering the city.

We found a hotel close to the main highway and settled in for the night. We planned to visit the Laos Embassy first thing Friday morning to see if we could process the visa in one day and then leave the following morning before the traffic built up. 

However, after resolving a problem with our email provider, we discovered our Chinese guide had not managed to process the paperwork in time and it could be as late at May 8 before we can enter China.

Entering with a vehicle is a problem that can be resolved with lots of money. You hire a guide who travels with you. They apply for a permit to use the vehicle, a license for the driver and permission for passengers.

Authorities require photographs of the vehicle from all sides, copies of registration, drivers licence, passports. It then takes 70 days to process the paperwork provided there are no holidays.

We struck Chinese New Year, so allowed about 100 days to do our paperwork but, as you see, it took much longer and this is quite a common occurrence. It can be a problem if you let it but we will take the opportunity to spend some extra time in Chiang Mai and Chiang Rai before we go to Laos.

Once the paperwork for our Laotian visa was processed we rested overnight and the following morning, on the way to Chiang Mai, we visited the weekend markets where we picked up a few little gifts.

We spent a night at a Caltex garage just outside Nakhon Sawon. This was great, if noisy; the Thai man who ran the garage even turned the lights out so we could sleep.  We slept well considering and with water available and the ability to cook using our facilities, it was great.

Continuing up to Chiangi Mai, we arrived late in the afternoon. Now we really slowed down planning to spend a week in Chiangi Mai and catch up with a fellow 4WD enthusiast. 

We stayed in the Royal Peninsular, a year-old hotel costing around NZ$42 a night, which is average for Chiang Mai.

We contacted Udiya Tours at www.udiya2001.com and what a dynamic fellow Udi is. He was in the Israeli navy and then a sea captain, spending 37 years at sea, before coming ashore to spend more time with his lovely Thai wife Ya and two beautiful sons aged 11 and 12.

The conversation switches from English to Hebrew to Thai. The telephone rings and hes speaking Hebrew again. Udi and Ya have made us so welcome and ensured we are occupied everyday. We have been out to dinner with them and their friends and family.

Udi has directed us to various places and, even though we sometimes get lost, we find interest and adventure just exploring new pastures. As Udi says, nothing happens by accident and we are meant to be here.

Weve been off-road and found ourselves in a little village at the foot of a mountain one day.  Another day, dealing with fallen power pole and lines all over the road.  A great adventure so far. 

We spent a day at an Elephant training centre and visited Udis secret waterfall.  We climbed the waterfall, which seemed to have lime deposit formations on the rock so this made it easy to walk, although Linda did it on all fours, hence the drowned rat look!

Our hosts at the hotel are also great and watch over SKI.24.7 at night for us.

Tomorrow our adventure continues, as we leave for Chiang Rai following Udi, Ya and family to experience some real 4WD adventure..: